Making It: Sheila Maurice-Grey

Sheila Maurice-Grey is a London based trumpet and flugelhorn player, who leads renowned jazz band Kokoroko. In February 2019, they were named "ones to watch" by The Guardian, after their track Abusey Junction garnered 57 million views on YouTube. She has featured on several projects with Sampha, Little Simz, Yussef Dayes, Stormzy and others.

Upgrade Yourself presenter Betty Douglas meets Sheila to revisit the beginnings of her creative journey, dropping into her school to lay down a track, and exploring the local record shops of South London.

A self-taught musician from South London, Sheila Maurice-Grey navigated the precarious reality of music education through sheer determination—hustling gigs to cover tuition fees and sometimes missing the very classes she was working to afford.

Her approach to musicianship itself challenges convention.

It's a reminder that mastery takes many forms, and that learning happens not just through doing, but through deep, intentional listening.